More Visitors!
1/25/2020
This week we had a few more visitors! Kimber Olson, Max’s mother, came to share her experiences and knowledge of the beautiful Aleutian Islands. Students enjoyed her stories about the extreme weather and the uniqueness of some of the islands. Because Kimber works for the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, she connected our class with Darling and Bobby. Darling and Bobby also shared their experiences growing up in the Aleutians and demonstrated a new language app for others to learn their language. Because only about 90 people speak this language fluently, this app is vital in keeping this language alive. Elizabeth Hensley, William Hensley, and Maligiaq Padilla (Aqattaq’s mother, grandfather, and father) were also kind enough to visit. They shared the rich indigenous knowledge that has allowed the Inupiaq to thrive for thousands of years in the North. Students looked at clothing made of moose hair, marten, fox, wolf, and seal skin. They liked seeing the harpoon with scrimshaw and the kayak Maligiaq made. We even passed around Aqattaq’s mukluks that she wore as a baby and tried muktuk (bowhead whale)! William Hensley is a former member of the Alaska House of Representatives and Alaska Senate. His book 50 Miles from Tomorrow is a great read about his story of his incredible journey that led him to his role of being a major advocate for Native Alaskans. As a connection to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students learned that there was a time in Alaska when businesses could post signs like “No Dogs or Natives Allowed” or “Whites Only.” William attended a school that physically punished him when he spoke his first language and looked down upon Natives. Alaska has its own heroes like Elizabeth Peratrovich who helped pass anti-discrimination laws and William Hensley who lobbied for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Thank you so much for your time, Max’s and Aqattaq’s family! Comments are closed.
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Jessica GrahamMs. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and is currently working on her master's in reading. She enjoys hiking, traveling, arts & crafts, and playing the ukulele. Archives
April 2021
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